Rangers Walter Smith closes on Celtic legend Jock Steins record of Old Firm wins

By Gavin McCafferty Published: 9:42PM GMT twenty-four February 2010

Champion manager: Rangers" Walter Smith with the SPL prize Photo: REUTERS

Smith will subsequent to Stein and former Ibrox physical education instructor Scott Symon"s jot down of twenty-six victories in the Glasgow derby if Rangers kick Celtic on Sunday.

Smith would still be a little approach off pre-war Celtic physical education instructor Willie Maley, with twenty-nine wins, and jot down hilt Bill Struth, who led Rangers to 35 victories in between 1920 and 1954.

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But the Ibrox manager, who distinguished his 62nd birthday yesterday, additionally believes he cannot review himself to Stein, who led Celtic to 9 uninterrupted titles and the 1967 European Cup.

"I didn"t know I was close to equalling Mr Stein and Mr Symon"s annals and they did a lot of great in their times in assign of the dual clubs," Smith told Rangers News.

"But whilst you can get close to them in conditions of games won, I don"t think I would even cruise myself to be as close in conditions of being a manager.

"From my own point of view, Mr Stein has been an iconic figure for any of us who have been concerned in management.

"Sir Alex Ferguson has left to Manchester United and the success he has had there maybe creates him the majority appropriate Scottish physical education instructor ever.

"But, inside of this country, Mr Stein is but disbelief the majority appropriate there has been and I"m gay to get anywhere nearby any jot down of his.

"While it"s great to be close to that since of what has happened in the past, it"s the benefaction that equates to the majority to us. Our concentration at the impulse contingency not be on what we"ve finished before, but on what we need to do right away and we have to keep winning."

Rangers will go 10 points transparent at the tip of the SPL, with a diversion in hand, if they kick their rivals at Ibrox.

However, Rangers midfielder Lee McCulloch claims that Celtic are favourites following their Jan spending spree.

While debt-ridden Rangers were incompetent to have a permanent signing for the third send window in succession, Celtic combined eight players to their ranks together with on-loan Barclays Premier League strikers Robbie Keane and Diomansy Kamara.

McCulloch said: "We"re not stupid sufficient to dont think about that with the subsequent diversion all can spin again, so we only need to keep you do what we"re doing.

"I think Celtic have to be favourites to win the diversion with the players they have brought in.

"With the rest of the signings I think they have around 6 strikers, and a little great players, but we will not be rolling over. We"ll be up for the challenge, that"s for sure."

McCulloch was removed to Craig Levein"s initial Scotland patrol for subsequent week"s accessible opposite the Czech Republic after withdrawing his services to prior physical education instructor George Burley.

With both Maurice Edu and the right away over Pedro Mendes carrying longed for prolonged spells of the deteriorate by injury, McCulloch has hold down a unchanging place in the Rangers executive midfield and the versatile player feels he has benefited from the stability.

"I don"t know about the majority appropriate football of my career, but it"s really the majority appropriate of my Rangers career," the 31-year-old said.

"I"ve got players to one side me on form, too, and that"s what creates it easier. We"re in a great group and the boys around me are personification well.

"I"m only perplexing to suffer it. If we can come out this deteriorate being as successful as the boys wish to be, afterwards it will be one ruin of a summer.

"We"ve got a sauce room full of guys who hatred to lose at anything and that kind of genius rubs off on everyone."